4th Palestinian Sentenced to Die for Aiding Israel

JERUSALEM â€”  Palestinian judges sentenced four Palestinian men to death this week for helping Israel’s army carry out lethal attacks. Those sentenced include a 50-year-old who was convicted Thursday in a case that lasted just 90 minutes.

On the streets, three Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel have been gunned down in recent days, and a militant Palestinian group vowed that more killings were on the way.

The recent Israeli raids, such as Tuesday’s helicopter assault that killed eight people--including two top leaders of the Hamas militant group--have angered many Palestinians. But the Israeli army is a difficult target, leading some Palestinians to focus their sights on fellow Palestinians suspected of helping the enemy.

Ahmed abu Issah, who was convicted and sentenced Thursday, admitted that he gave Israelis information on the movements of Palestinian militant Salah Darwaza, killed July 25 when Israeli missiles destroyed his car near the West Bank city of Nablus.

“I’m guilty, and I’m asking for mercy,� Issah, a laborer with nine children, told the security court in Nablus. He received about $45 each time he provided information on Darwaza’s travel route, he said.

As a glum Issah sat inside a cage in the courtroom, the three-judge panel sentenced him to death. Spectators in the packed courtroom and about 2,000 people on the street chanted, “Execution! Execution!�

The Israeli security forces refuse to discuss their contacts with Palestinian collaborators, whom they have relied on for years. Some Palestinians do it for the money. Others say they were forced to become collaborators after being arrested by the Israelis and tortured.

About 50 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli attacks since fighting broke out in September, according to Palestinians. Amid widespread international criticism, Israel has defended its policy of “target killings,� saying that is the only way the government can prevent bomb attacks against its citizens.

Two suspected Palestinian collaborators were shot dead Wednesday night in the West Bank, one in the city of Ramallah and one near Bethlehem. A militant group loosely affiliated with the Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat claimed responsibility Thursday.

Another suspected collaborator, a 57-year-old man from Beit Sahur, near Bethlehem, was gunned down Tuesday, Palestinian officials said.

Also, five Palestinians were convicted Tuesday of helping Israel carry out the Dec. 31 killing of Fatah leader Thabet Thabet in the West Bank town of Tulkarm. Three were sentenced to death, a fourth received a jail term, and a fifth was deemed mentally ill and freed.